Day-am.
There are a few things I don't agree with in this fabulous fictional address, delivered by the talented Jeff Daniels in the show "The Newsroom."
I don't think millenials are a bad generation. They are learning, like all of us, and have things to teach us.
I think considering Theodore Roosevelt's quote, "Speak softly and carry a big stick," there has been some chest-beating going on since our country was founded, and probably throughout every country's history.
And I don't think it's a problem that lots of people here believe in angels. That's called faith, hope and spirituality and those are in short supply.
But the concept of America being the most free country in the world, which is constantly beaten into our heads to promote military support--bolstered by false cliches like "freedom isn't free"--is wrong.
We are exceptional. We are the country where people of all backgrounds have always worked together. We are the country where rock and roll and jazz and blues and blue jeans were created. We are a country of people who smile at strangers.
But one of my best friends who is living in Australia has a lot of personal autonomy and, like all her Down Under cohorts, like three times the yearly vacation time of American workers.
Freedom can be found in all kinds of places. Let's work on our personal freedom not just by expressing ourselves but by listening to other Americans expressing themselves. And by questioning everything we've ever been told, not as a nihilistic pursuit but to make sure we truly believe what we hear.
Like sniffing the milk to make sure it's fresh. Like Whitman's urging that each of us "re-examine all you have been told in school or church or in any book, and dismiss whatever insults your own soul."
Okay, diatribe done. Sarah out. (Drops mic)
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